>How dangerous is it to take blood from the jugular of a very squirmy >ferret? My vet says she is confident that she can get the blood with her >awake, but Kiwi doesn't have a lot of loose skin on her scruff, and often >wiggles out of a scruff hold. In fact, during her exam, neither the vet >nor I were completely successful holding her still for more than a few >seconds. Of course I would worry about gassing her down to get the blood >too, and ... Drawing blood is not dangerous, even if anesthesia is needed. Quite honestly, I usually have one of my techs hold a bottle of ferretone near the ferret's nose, while scruffing, and usually before the ferret knows it, I have the sample. If that doesn't work, don't hesitate to use a little bit of anesthetic to get the blood sample. But, I suspect that your girl is just dreaming. Several of mine have periods where they seem to dream a lot, then they go back to normal. Dr. Ruth ***************************************** Save lives - spay or neuter your pet. [Sukie note: it's the same technique we use at vet's and the ferrets hardly notice it or completely ignore it in favor of the treat.] [Posted in FML issue 3665]